Barbados

We arranged a private tour through William's Tours 

There are somethings I would have liked to know upfront, so here's what I wished I would have known. You walk off the ship and are "herded" into the cruise ship tours in the terminal and just outside. Many people standing outside the terminal either want you in their taxi or on their cruise line tour bus. I kept trying to tell people we had a private tour arranged. A very pushy lady told me "I needed to learn to listen!" And while that's normally true, it wasn't in this case. Finally a nice gentleman asked to see my paper and directed me down the road beyond the port gates, where private tours were waiting. You have to go around a wall to see the actual gate/port entrance. As you walk down the road there is a beautiful walkway that safely crosses the road.....don't use it. They will scold you and send you out into a busy roundabout with no walkway, so stay on the left hand side of the road. (To be honest, I was ready to just get back on the ship and write off  Barbados.)

 Once I  got beyond the gates I met with one of the William's tour guides. He said that we would tour with a man named "Rooster" and he'd be there shortly. I'm so glad we kept going. This is by far the prettiest of the islands that we had toured. And our guide, Rooster, was quite the ambassador!
William's tour video
Rooster is in the back row with a white goatee. Sadly I tought there would be more videos of Rooster as everyone on the island seemed to know him and he'd call out like a rooster. The island was more scenic than I recall. Because of the Noreaster up north the waves were strong. Jim and Ken got wet 150 feet above the ocean!

We toured both inland and various beaches, each place is rich in history and beauty.

Rooster sang us a song about sugar cane that the slaves would sing as they worked.....sad but a part of history. He also sang Island in the sun as we drove overlooking the beach.

 This rasta man was getting fresh salt water for his elderly neighbor. She drinks a shot of fresh salt water daily to keep her healthy. He rode greater than a mile on his bike to help his neighbor.

                                                    Black-bellied Sheep

                                                       Australian Pine trees

                                                 Original wood housing

                                           Old rum factory made from the sugar cane below

 This rasta man used to get harrassed by the police all the time. He cut his hair, now they leave him alone. We bought a coconut from him and he poured half the milk out and filled it with rum!

 We ate flying fish at this place on the north east side of the island. It was very good!

                                           Banks beer tastes like a Heiniken

 Flying fish, rice and peas, potato salad and salad with another barbadosmade beer

                                            This house was taken out to sea over time

                                Monkeys on the island like to ruin the fruit. They take 1 bite and toss it.

After driving past a wealthy landowner and seeing Rihanna's birth town, we drove past the new cricket stadium and back to the ship. We loved Barbados, thanks to Rooster!